&lt;From their site&gt;
History
In 1988, Booker Noe introduced his own signature bourbon, Booker's True Barrel Bourbon. Inspired by a 200-year-old tradition, Booker's is the only bourbon bottled straight-from-the-barrel, uncut and unfiltered. First created as a holiday gift for his special friends, Booker's whiskey was so well-received that he decided to make it available to bourbon lovers worldwide; much to the joy of spirit connoisseurs everywhere. Booker's is the rarest, absolute best bourbon available.

Distinctions
Booker's Bourbon is the only uncut, unfiltered, straight-from-the-barrel, connoisseur's sipping bourbon available today. It's bottled at its natural proof of between 121 and 127, and aged between six and eight years. Booker Noe, Jim Beam's grandson and master distiller emeritus, hand selects each barrel that will become Booker's Bourbon. Each barrel that will become Booker's bourbon is aged in the very center of the rackhouse where the temperature and humidity combines in the perfect proportion for the finest bourbon. This is truly the absolute best bourbon available.

Nosed it for a long time. A lot of caramel. Ethanol in the background, but lurking. Vanilla plays in, too - along with some oak.

Taste:

Very full and forward. Opens with leather, then maple syrup. Pepper follows (a good bit of rye in the mashbill?). Definitely a JBB product - you can taste it. Hits all parts of the tongue.

Finish:

Nice and long. Rye first, then pepper, then wood, then sweet like caramel. Really, really tasty.

Overall:

This is not for the young. A really ballsy bottling. I've been drinking Booker's since they first offered it, and I continue to be surprised that they keep the label in their lineup. Clean and crisp, with a nice 60+ proof bite - this is Bourbon as it used to be.
Not an everyday pour, but one that's nice to have in the cabinet when you get a hankering.
I may get a hankering more often.....

$ 38.70 CDN ( a bloody steal seeing as this is over 90 bucks here normally)

Info on this bottle:

7 yrs 2 mo 16 days Batch # 2015-01

Nose:

You can smell this from a distance...Brown sugar,vanilla,leather,almost a cut lawn thing,oak,and,alcohol...Spectacular!!!

Taste:

Sugary sweetness... a mingling of the flavours from the nose..more brown sugar than vanilla and then serious peppery spice..then fading to muted oak...

Finish:

Long and lasting!...Serious viscosity coating the mouth...charred oak taking over from the sweetness and then that distinctive Beam mustiness (it's hard to explain but Beam fans will understand)...But,not the huge alcohol burn I was expecting.

Overall:

This is definitely a top shelf whiskey.Very complex on the nose and delicious in the mouth.You MUST take your time with this,even at the start by letting it breath a bit in the glass..But the wait is well worth it.I can see a few more trips to the duty free in my future!!

Orange oil that has been rubbed into wood and or leather. Mixed nuts, rock candy and toffee starts to come out if let it sit for a while.

Taste:

Hot, peppery and viscus. Coats the tongue with a dark sugar.

Finish:

Charred wood , hint of tobacco ... very pleasant, not harsh or bitter. Finish keeps going for literally 3 minutes and goes back to sweet.

Overall:

Good whiskey , not the best I ever had but good. The one thing that impresses me is how 130 proof is so drinkable. I added water just to see what would happen and I didn't like it. The flavors got muffled and the whiskey thinned, ruining the finish.

Much to the reviews of many others. I got an aroma of vanilla and brown sugar. Robust woody scent accompanies these sweet smelling attributes.

Taste:

A very complex spirit. I get much of the vanilla and brown sugar, with hints of burnt caramel, oak, and leather. Very warm and inviting. I love hovering over this bourbon, savoring the sweet smells.

Finish:

Dry and hot. The alcohol is well hidden for being 64.55%. Hits you immediately, but disappears quickly and leaves the oak flavors on your tongue.

Overall:

I really like this bourbon. It may be partly because the first time I drank it, it was from a bottle I had bought at the distillery. Being able to walk the storage warehouse and understanding how this bourbon came to be, definitely helped me appreciate this one a little bit more.

huge HEATHER. Big VANILLA'S, Oak.
So Clean. So Pure. NO ALCOHOL.
this is unfiltered, untouched. And to think this was the standard way back!

Taste:

simple, intense, gliding smooth.
huge VANILLIA'S, BROWN SUGAR with Spices, TANNIN LOADED! every tannins is virgin, tender smooth. it just glides down. i think there coar and d smoke. it is simple. not all this liquorish, toffees butterscotch etc,etc going on back and forward.

Finish:

GLIDES DOWN. Much the same of brown sugar, vanillas, tender soft tannins. I Have no idea of all this if your game and not for WOMEN talk. spirits i just cant stand. sharp bourbon and rough oak. no way.

Overall:

my batch did not seem have the leathery tobacco notes. how to know on bottle? none left now but read you can can light it on fire! Not tried other JB Small batch. I say this Booker's is too easy to drink as in some other cut bourbons may have that sharp upfront heat and harness back palate oh that sharp bitter tannins. this glides down. the tannins of so tender. its so clean. Be decently hydrated before drinking this too.

Very dry due to the high proof, but I LOVE it that way. Coffee, cinnamon, maple, and vanilla. Oak and some rye.

Finish:

Strong and long. Slightly smoky with good, sweet maple and vanilla

Overall:

If all the bottles are this good, you can't help but get a winner. This stuff is unlike any other bourbon I've had. It must come from the uncut, unfiltered process. At first I was hesitant because of price, but I don't regret it now!

Sweet then slightly astringent vanilla with fruity spiciness, the very first sip has an explosion of heat on the palate immediately after. After that first sip the mentioned explosion is more muted though still present to a lesser degree.

Finish:

The initial firey sweetness fades slowly to a much more recessed spicy leathery oak note that pleases for what seems like several minutes.

Overall:

This is akin to &quot;lightning in a jar&quot; as far as bourbon goes. It is very complex and very strong while being extremely refined so it all works in an impossibly refined taste experience. The only way to properly experience has to be neat done slowly with restraint between tastes.

Actually pretty complex with majority components of vanilla, cherry, vanilla and oak...and hmm I guess one could simply say more.

Taste:

Very smooth and fuity with a mild leather...I really was surprised by the LACK of alcohol burn. It seemed exceedingly well crafted to provide a rich, full bodied start at high proof.

Finish:

Absolutely great. Not over powering but the high proof delivered the goods in the form of OAK. I really was impressed with the control over proof versus flavor. The distillers balanced alcohol content with flavor and used the high proof as a tool to deliver the taste. Great job guys!

Overall:

Get some and keep it on hand. Despite what others might say this is definitely not a bull. This is a bull that knows its way around the china shop. Buy it and enjoy it and forget about the proof.

[Description of the initial taste impression]
Not a bourbon for &quot;wheaters&quot; and I'm one of them. This is a bucking bronc, a mad bull, and a rattlesnake rolled into one mouthful. Creamy viscosity on entry gives way to fire, rye, and more fire. Sweet oakiness is overcome as well by the pepper and fiery back notes. Water doesn't help until the flavors are drowned.

Finish:

[Description of the lingering taste impression]
A freight train rolling out of town.

Overall:

[Overall impression of this bottling]
I'm glad I tasted this bourbon, and I'm glad I didn't have to buy a bottle to do it. Bookers is just too peppery and hot on the back end for me. That said, I believe it would mix very well. But, who wants to mix a $60 bourbon?

[Description of the initial taste impression]
Not a bourbon for &quot;wheaters&quot; and I'm one of them. This is a bucking bronc, a mad bull, and a rattlesnake rolled into one mouthful. Creamy viscosity on entry gives way to fire, rye, and more fire. Sweet oakiness is overcome as well by the pepper and fiery back notes. Water doesn't help until the flavors are drowned.

Finish:

[Description of the lingering taste impression]
A freight train rolling out of town.

Overall:

[Overall impression of this bottling]
I'm glad I tasted this bourbon, and I'm glad I didn't have to buy a bottle to do it. Bookers is just too peppery and hot on the back end for me. That said, I believe it would mix very well. But, who wants to mix a $60 bourbon?

Wow ---- Strong --- The smell makes you think of leather that has been soaked with vanilla, caramel, and spices then buried in sawdust to age and mellow out some --- but not much. --- It grabs hold of you.

Taste:

Pleasently suprising --- after the way the smell grabs hold of you I expected all burn and no flavor. It is strong but flavorable maybe a little hotter than I like (I think it was the rye) with with a very little hint of vanilla, oak, a spice I couldnt fig. out, and rye. I tried putting some of it in a seperate glass and cutting it (would have like to have tried adding a pince of brown sugar to some but didnt have any with me) but it also cut its unique flavor and I decided that wasn't as good as it was neat.

Finish:

all oak and rye that just seems to stay--- with you----- and with you ----and with you --- and you get the picture.

Overall:

In a nut shell if offered I wouldnt pass up. A good bourbon and something Im glad I tried but not something I would want to buy a bottle. I can say with ease it was the best Beam Product that I ever had with the exception of OGD 114 (which I belive Beam has OGD now) but I think I would rather have had a Old Grand Dad 114 or Stagg. Its not the proof---- its the taste that really wasnt what I like. It does and it doesn't taste like a Beam but it is far above any Beam product I have had to date (with the exception of OGD if it is theirs now). I have a couple of friends that are Beam drinkers and consider this their #1 top shelf bourbon of choice. Im sure they would have enjoyed it much more than I did as our taste in bourbon run in different directions.

The first thing to note is to draw the aroma of this one from a distance. If you put the nose too close to the glass on this one, you'll get overpowered. Strong oak, leather, fresh-cut hay.

Taste:

As bold as you probably ever want to get! You should try it neat, but then be prepared to add a splash of water to get it to a level where you will likely enjoy it more. An intense hot burn at first - as expected. Tannins are here in a big way, but for those of you used to tannins in wines, this is a very different experience. Very dry. The vanilla and oakiness are powerful but do not overwhelm.

Finish:

Lasts as long as any other bourbon I've tasted. The finish is my personal favorite with Bookers. You more than get your money's worth. Minutes later, it still hangs on. The oak and vanilla give way to a little more sweetness. Maybe a toffee? If drinking neat, sip this stuff slowly and give yourself time to let the flavors develop. You won't catch them nearly as much if diluted.

Overall:

Please don't let this be the bourbon you let newbies sample first. Not because it is not a good bourbon, it is. But it is so over the top and bold that it would likely send them running away. That being said, this is something that everyone who considers him/herself a bourbon lover should try at least once. Drinking it makes me feel like I'm getting a better understanding of the very core of both the ingredients and the process of making bourbon.

If you compare drinking bourbon to travelling, some bourbons are all about the trip itself, enjoying the ride, taking your time and taking in the sites. Bookers is all about the end destination. You get there fast and focus on the moment.

Value-wise, I think a bottle of Booker's is generally still a bargain. But it's not likely to be one you'll be finishing quickly. It will be there on your shelf like an old friend, there to remind you of the qualities that make us enjoy bourbon in the first place. For many, the better proposition will be to try this by the drink first and then decide whether to add it to the collection.

Neat it is almost pure alcohol, waiting for the doctor to prick with the syringe. A little distilled water opens it up: vanilla is the predominant note with the alcohol smell taking back stage. There is a burnt something in the middle, I can???t say what specifically but it is sweet and burnt. Like charred sugar.

Taste:

This bottle neat was an attack of one-thousand little knives, assaulting every bit of flesh it touches, mouth and throat all the same. Cut with distilled water I taste only oak, oak and vanilla with a hint of something caramelized.

Finish:

The finish is a nice static, white noise on a tweaked-up background of unreal blackness. A Sweetness rising from the chest to the upper throat and nasal cavities.

Overall:

Coming in to this bottle was an entirely different experience from the finishing of the same bottle. There was a whole lot to consider and with the first samples I felt only confusion as my mind attempted to filter the booze from the bouquet. As I became acclimated to the Booker???s beastly ways I found the purest expression of bourbon I have known to date. The flavors are few but those that are present are so vivid that they sear themselves onto the mind, leaving an indelible impression. A singular experience not to be missed. If the first taste leaves you puzzled, come back for more, what is waiting is worthwhile.

A quick hit of honey eludes to a flamingly good burn, lean, and quick to please. Slightly chewy as it envelops the entire mouth. Leathery.

Finish:

Lengthy heat roars into the minutes... semi-dry.

Overall:

I will definitely minimize the air when storing the next bottle. Use preserver (gas) with this after opening, it tends to decline quickly... My personal favorite within the Beam Collection. A tad pricey by comparison outside of New Hampshire. BB

Sweet charred oak and vanilla top notes. Allspice and cloves backstage. A little leather and some smokey tobacco doing the rock'n'roll hoochiecoo out in the alley.

Taste:

Flavor fairly explodes in the mouth. A bit fruity at first, but very solidly vanilla and char from the nose. Just a great big hit. Not all that complex, but all good.

Finish:

A tad warm, but not hot, and in no way harsh at all. The spice components from the nose march right up center stage, and some pepper arrives late to the gig. As the finish fades, the oak begins to dry. The overall sweetness is there to the very end of a long decay. One of the most pleasent finishes I have ever experienced, and the very best bottle of Booker's I have ever had.

Overall:

This bottle of Booker's is just killer on every facet. In fact it's the finest example of this expression of Beam bourbon that I have ever had.

a very heavy caramel and walnut nose. For some reason, i did not get the strong alcohol smell. (but it must be there ?!?!)

Taste:

a buttery flavor followed by a shot of alcohol heat. ( a punch in the mouth) Very flavorful once the burn resides.

Finish:

finish is long, spicy, and dry.

Overall:

I just started drinking my bourbon neat. (what a great bourbon to start with, eh???)
Overall, i like this bourbon. it is a bit big for me. I'll probably drink this one on the rocks or with a splash of water. If you haven't had it yet, you owe it to yourself to give 'er a spin !!!!

Neat:
what a kick in the pants - earth, oak and apricots heavy burn - medicine feel to it

Rocks:
Less kick, but still not pleasing. earth, lighter oak and some vanilla

Finish:

Neat:
0-15 burn with oak and some dried fruits (apricots I think)
15-30 still burning on my tongue and mellowed a little to a citrus oak blend with strengthening lather
30-45 heavier leather a little less burn, but still there
45-60 lingering burn to light leather and apricots arrived again.
60+ seconds still a numb tongue a light leather and oak

Rocks:
0-15 seconds has a oak to earth tone. Some fruit, but not clear
15-30 seconds the fruit is stronger - like the white of an orange peal
30-45 seconds the oak and leather are revealed more and the fruit is washed out
45-60 seconds leaves an earth flavor that just sits on your tongue.... not very pleasant.

Overall:

Neat:
Not great. To much alcohol to enjoy the taste. The burn overwhelms all of the flavors

Rocks:
Reduces the finish - the time is shortened and the flavors are muted, but fortunately so is the heavy alcohol burn

Overall, this is what I remember from the first time I tried is three years ago. It kicks you in the teeth and burns for a significant amount of time.

This rat cheer bourbon has a delightful nose with some rye, nuts, vanilla, maple syrup, and a whiff of wood. The alcohol wafts up but, surprisingly, does not overpower the aromas.

Taste:

A rich thick greeting of buttery sweetness that slips and slides joyously across my very mouth. There is just a hint of woody dryness that makes this bourbon even more interesting. The spice washes out most, but not all, of the sweetness. A marvelous bourbon drap.

Finish:

The spice and alcohol seal off the sweetness from the back of the mouth but neither is overpowering. However, the alcohol wails a bit as it makes its way down the gullet, sustaining the finish for a considerable time.

Overall:

This is the first Booker's I have had in over a year and I don't know why because it is great stuff. I probably should have put a little water in it but wanted to try it full on first. Without water, it must be handled with care because it can be explosive as it hits bottom. I recommend it very highly.

The nose doesn't know. It doesn't know that this bourbon is 126+ proof. It says 101 or maybe 107 proof. The results of its 6 to 8 years in the barrel are very evident. The oak, the vanilla, the butterscotch, the nuts, the orange, the leather, the rye.............all tesitfy to its busy life in the barrel. It went about its business with a will! A good, healthy, robust, interesting nose.

Taste:

You get the expected sweetness and complex flavors upfront (a bit of oak and vanilla, along with some corn sweetness) then a blast of alcohol that is not unexpected if you read the label. My opinion is that us bourbon drinkers would be missing something important if we didn't have the Booker's, and the George T Stagg's and the other barrel strength bourbons in our cabinets. This stuff stirs the spirit and says, 'Nothing lasts forever........."Always" is a lie'! Wake up! Live life now and live it to its fullest. Yep, me BE buddies, I like it!!

Finish:

Hangs on like an animal in a flood.........just won't let go! Good? or Bad? You decide!

Overall:

One of those elemental bourbons that most would probably prefer to pass up. For those of us who like to push things a bit...........a reward! Why do I drink Booker's? I don't know...........the challenge?..........the flavor?...........the very quick high?............now, I have the answer...........I like the damn stuff!!!!!!!

Concentrated and rich but a little light, not complex. Clean and pure again, with oak in evidence. None of the musky Beam White flavors, they have been "aged out" but the resemblance to the Beam style is evident

Finish:

Oak seems to dominate and rye tangs emerge

Overall:

I'd give it a 7 or 8 out of 10. It is (at least this sample) lighter than most other premium bourbons and a more elegant style of bourbon than many of the heavyweights associated to high proof or small batch/single barrel products. It is very good but not the best out there, in my view. E.g. I prefer Elmer T. Lee's richness. There is something missing in other words in this whiskey, it seems too perfect in a way.

Sweetness and complex blending of flavors at the front of the mouth, pepper and alcohol spreads across the middle and coats the back of the throat, but not to the exclusion of the other wonderful elements.

Finish:

Long strong finish with lots of viscosity. The band plays music of your choosing in your mouth. In my case, they are playing the blues because that has an edge to it and besides, the weight of this bourbon won't allow anything too fast.

Overall:

Booker's bourbon challenges you! It takes you by the scruff of the neck and says, 'Can you handle me?'. My answer is that I drink Booker's slowly.......because it is robust, because it is complex, because it is viscous, because of the alcohol burn as it goes down, and most of all because it is good to savor. This is a bourbon that any liquor cabinet should never be without. I think Booker's will always be on my top shelf.